Apparatus for determining working-space.



J. B. REPLOGLE.

APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING WORKING SPACE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28, I9l3.

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APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING WORKING SPACE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28. 1913.

1 1 5 1 J? 1 6. Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,\VASHINGTDN. n. c

a e srars JAMES B. REPLOG-LE,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING WORKING-SPACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 31, was.

Application filed November 28, 1913. Serial No. 803,412.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES B. REPLOGLE, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Determining WorkingSpace, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for ascertaining the working space which intervenes between objects that exert heavy working-like compressing pressure upon a third object interposed between the aforesaid objects and is of particular service in measuring the working space intervening between the cylinders and beds of printing presses.

The method involved in the use of the apparatus consists in yieldingly maintaining heavy separating working-like pressure upon the objects that exert the compressing pressure and measuring the resulting space existing between these objects.

In the apparatus of my invention I employ a follow-up pressure contact device which is adapted to keep in simultaneous engagement with the cylinder and bed or other compressing objects and to maintain heavy separating working-like pressure thereupon irrespective of the variations in the spacing and whether or not such spacing exceeds or is less than the spacing normally occupied by the printing form or other interposed object of correct height.

The invention has other features and advantages and will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which drawings Figure 1 is a sectional view on line 1 1 of Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe equipment as exhibited in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a View of the apparatus of my invention on a larger scale, its association with a printing cylinder and form bed being diagrammatically indicated; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the instrument of my invention; Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6 6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 7 7 of Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a rear view illustrating the multiplying gearing of one form of micrometric gage and parts cooperating with such gearing; and Fig. 9 is a reverse view of the structure shown in Fig. 8 except that the dial there illustrated conceals the gearing.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures.

The invention has been applied to printing presses for the purpose of ascertaining the working space which intervenes between the press bed .and the complemental compression element respectively indicated in the drawings at a, b where 6 represents the rotating tympan or printing cylinder of a cylinder press. As the invention is adaptable to various printing presses it will be unnecessary to describe the mechanism of any particular press to which the invention is adaptable. The elements a and 5 thus constitute two objects that exert heavy working-like compressing pressure upon a third object, namely the printing form, interposed between the aforesaid objects and between which aforesaid objects the working space is to be ascertained. The spacing which intervenes between the press bed and the cylinder, before such spacing has been corrected by the pressman as by changing the thickness of the cylinder packing or by underlaying the form, is, as a most usual occurrence, non-uniform, this spacing sometimes happening to be type high in some places and in other places exceeding or being less than this type high dimension. I employ a device, which is desirably in the form of a very heavy and powerful U- shaped spring 0 which constitutes a yielding follow-up contact device whose resilience is such that it will spread apart at its free ends, when not subject to material counteracting pressure, to an extent which will exceed the maximum spacing which is likely to intervene between the cylinder and bed. In practice I- have found that onetenth of an inch is suflicient for the followup contact device 0 to spread at its free ends in excess of the type high dimension. The top and bottomfaces of the free ends of the arms of the loop 0 are accurately planed so as to be flat and practically parallel in the type high position ofthe loop and so relatively positioned that they will be separated one-tenth of an inch in excess of the type high dimension when relieved of extraneous pressure. It is preferable to employ a plu rality of closely approached follow-up contact springs or pressure devices 0 (Figs. 2 and 3) each in the position described to approach working conditions as much as posthus exert heavy working-like compressing pressure upon the follow-up pressure contact devices 0 since these devices yieldingly oppose similar counteracting separating pressure upon the bed and cylinder; If space in excess of type high dimension is being measured it will be apparent that the measuring device 0 located in such space will follow the cylinder so as to fill such space while maintaining heavy working-like separating pressure upon the cylinder and bed to enable the proper measurement of the space, the measuring devicec thus-being distinguished from the type high printing form which is incapable of thus adapting its height to the larger spaces so frequently initially intervening between bed and cylinder. An important feature of my invention, therefore, consists in yieldingly maintaining, during the measuring operation, heavy separating working-like pressure upon the objects which exert heavy working-like compressing pressure upon a normally interposed object, the follow-up contact pressure device 0 thus constituting an object'temporarily interposed, for the purpose of measurement, between the compressing objects, which temporarily interposed object automatically adapts itself to the spacing between the compressing objects while at the same time yieldingly maintaining heavy separating working-like pressure upon the compressing objects irrespective of the spacing intervening between such objects within the limits of the measuring device.

The distance lntervening between the top and bottom engaged faces of each interposed measuring device 0 is the measure of the spacing there existing. In the apparatus of the invention the follow-up pressure contact device 0 is desirably supplemented by a micrometric gage which is preferably in separable relation with the follow-up pressure contact device so that one gage may be interchangeably associated with a plurality of the measuring devices 0 to avoid expense; In the preferred form of device the micrometric gage includes a pair of tongues d e.

centrally pivoted together at f, these tongues being rounded at their free ends readilyto be slipped within accurately. formed recesses in the free ends of each instrument 0 which are thus caused to constitute jaws which operate to cause the free ends of the tongues cl 6 relatively to approach when these instrument 0 to which the tongues are applied. The rear end of the tongue (Z is enlarged to constitute a mounting g which supports a stop it to limit the extent to which the free ends of the tongues may be spread apart when the micrometric gage is not in association with a measuring element 0.

The indicating mechanism of the micrometric gage is of any suitable form, that shown being supported upon the mounting g and including the vertically disposed plunger 2' carrying an abutment 7c and pressed downwardly by a light spring Z whereby this abutment 70 will maintain contact with the rear end of the tongue 6 irrespective 0f the relative positions of the tongues (Z and e. The pressure of the spring Z is so light as to have no discernible effect upon the measuring device 0. For instance the pressure of the light spring in the device as shown is one ounce whereas the pressure exerted by each measuring device a is five hundred pounds. The upper portion of the plunger 71 carries a rack m which constitutes an actuatingelement of a multiplying train of gears n, the shaft of whose final pinion 0 carries anindicating needle 39. The gage dial is carried by a ring 9 which may be turned to adjust'thenormal, idle or initial position of the needle 70 with respect to the dial. In using the device it is customary to compare the actual working space with a standard working space, to which end the distance between the top and bottom engaging points of the left hand ends of the tongues (Z and e are spaced apart a distance equaling a distance separating these engaging points when received within the jaws of the measuring element 0 whose engaging faces are spaced apart a type high distance, whereafter the dial ring 9 is adjusted to bring the zero mark of the dial scale into register with the indicating end of the indicator needle p. After the micrometric gage has thus been adjusted it is adapted for interchangeable association (Figs. 2 and 3) with the elements 0 then to measure the varying space between the bed and cylinder. Owing to the light spring Z the follower 70 will maintain engagement with the rear end of the tonguee whose position varies according to the spacing between bed and cylinder, the extent of the departure of this spacing from the standard working spacingbeing indicated by the departure of the needle 39 from its zero or normal position ascertained indicator 2? permitting of the large scale divisions indicated (Fig. 9). For example, if the spacing bein measured should lack, say, five one-thousandths of an inch of the standard spacing the indicating needle 10 will come to rest five scale divisions in a clockwise direction from normal. If the spacing being measured should exceed the standard spacing by, say, ten-one-thousandths of an inch the indicating needle 39 will come to rest ten scale divisions in a counter-clockwise direction from normal.

Nhile I have herein shown and particularly described a specific form of the appa-- ratus of my invention and one way of practising the method of the invention, I do not wish to be limited to the various details specifically set forth, but

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. A device for ascertaining the working space which intervenes between objects that exert heavy working compressing pressure upon a third object interposed between the aforesaid objects, said device including a yielding element of changeable size for maintaining heavy separating working-like pressure upon the compressing objects; and a measuring instrument including a gear operated indicator, a follower in controlling relation to the operating gearing of the indicator and whose position in turn is controlled by the element of changeable size interposed between the compressing elements.

2. A device for ascertaining the working space which intervenes between objects that exert heavy working compressing pressure upon a third object interposed between the aforesaid objects, said device including yielding means for maintaining heavy separating working-like pressure upon the compressing objects; and a measuring instrument having a gear operated measuring element whose operating gearing is actuated by the aforesaid means.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this twenty-sixth day of November, A. D. 1913.

JAMES B. REPLOGLE.

Witnesses:

ETTA L. WHITE, G. L. CRAGG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

